GD4XXX

I don't do Facebook and never will. Twitter sometimes, yes. Are there no non-social-media alternatives?

Hi all, Where's everyone advertising their stuff these days? Manx.net used to have hundreds of new adverts a day a while ago but now it seems pretty much defunct. I'm particularly interested in private cars for sale advertisements but I only ever seem to see dealers' ads. Any idea where I should be looking? Cheers, G.

You have to admire the way these have been rolled-out. Firstly they tried to make out like it was a great idea for everyone to buy their own smart meter so they could monitor their energy usage and save money accordingly. Then, once all those suckers had paid out good money and been converted, the rest of us had them foisted on us whether we wanted them or not (which was the plan all along). So the electric companies got as many gullible idiots to pay for their own meters as possible before forcing everyone else to have them. Quite a clever strategy, I thought.

HI all, The old Imperial got demolished I believe. Is there another hotel with the same name now up and running? Cheers.

It looks like I may have been worrying over nothing. I came across this on the German portal of the Sixt website (sorry for the huge gap, some excess linefeed characters from Google translate I'd imagine).... Important Documents

I'll check it out, thanks.

3rd July. But I have a lot to do between then and now. Thanks for the detailed info. I'll see what can be done about expediting it.

I have so much to do between now and when I leave that I don't believe I can get this permit in time, so I'll just have to take my chances with the Manx one alone. If they won't accept it, fortunately the train network is pretty good in that area so not the end of the world I guess.

Hi all, Does anyone know if the Manx driving licence is recognised outside of the UK? I'm off to Germany next month and will want to hire a car to get around and had assumed the Manx licence would be accepted, since it's got a lot of European languages text on its background. However, I was queuing in the Post Office today and noticed among the forms on the counter an "Application for International Driving Permit" which caused me to wonder that if our licences are recognised in the EU, why might anyone need an IDP to go with it? Hopefully some kind soul can clarify the position.... Thanks!

In that case they need to re-define it as "Someone who left their home country and passed through countless safe countries to get to within sight of their intended destination, then agreed to work as a drug mule for Albanian gangs in the UK in return for a one-way passage to Dover." There you go: the updated definition for you. 🙂

Not sure I agree with that. I remember that period vividly and have to say that I felt there was an unmistakable element of ruthless vindictiveness with which Thatcher treated the miners and their communities. Even when she'd broken them they were refused permission to work the mines on a subsistence basis and to cap it all, she had thousands of tons of concrete poured down all the old mineshafts to make damn certain there would be no informal mining taking place. It's hard to see how that was anything less than plain evil. Thatcher had a score to settle with the miners from the early 70s and she took her revenge with glee AFAICT.

Not likely! Far too depressing. 🤢

Personally I would really love to see the back of 'em. The problem is, looking around, there's a paucity of credible alternatives. I just don't see Labour/Lib-Dems in coalition or even as the sole governing party having the requisite talent to successfully govern. None of these people seem to have any real-world experience and they all strike me as the greasy pole-climber types.

Keir Starmer, yes I did know that. I just couldn't for the life of me remember his name until I read your post. Ed Davey I've never heard of.

No, of course not. But Covid has a lot to answer for in causing massive bureaucratic delays if my passport renewal application is any guide. So far as Braverman is concerned, yes, I can see a strategy of sit and watch her sink is attractive, but sooner or later - and certainly when the next election comes around - the question will be asked of that nice, plausible Leader of the Opposition whose name escapes me: 'what would you do about the Channel crisis?' And he'll have to have an answer by then.

You got me wrong there, I'm certainly no Tory! But the fact of the matter is that neither the Lib/Dems nor Labour have offered up any solutions as to how they would deal with the Channel crisis and the vast numbers of immigrants now piling up daily on the south coast of England. The Tories have been too busy stabbing each other in the back to care and Lib-Dem-Labour haven't even mentioned this most pressing issue if the truth be told, despite having had ample opportunity to do so.

As you say, the infrastructure just isn't there. When you have ex-servicemen with serious mental health issues having to sleep rough on the streets, how can anyone justify exacerbating the problem with yet more people all needing housing and access to health services as well? So many people dying from having waited too long in the queue for treatment and never even getting seen. It's appallingly bad governance with the Tory government too obsessed with its internal machinations to do anything about it. And their Lib and Lab counterparts have no solutions to offer either.

Sorry, I can't let you get away with that. We have a massive skills shortage in practically all fields currently; hence the term "skills shortage" - it's not just the low paid/unskilled cohort we're talking about here. Manx Care are struggling to recruit qualified medical professionals across all disciplines right now, for example.

Well, if the Bank of England forecast is correct, there *will* be a substantial rise in unemployment. But let's remember the silver lining here: it'll be rising from an historically extremely low base. Let's be thankful for that.

They dump their identity documents overboard, typically. Then - again typically - claim to be Iranian. Iranians are -typically- massive Anglophiles and are keen to get on and do well in the UK. I've met some of them and they are really wonderful, lovely, lovely people. But on the other hand we have those who falsely claim to be Iranian. Like for example, Syrians. They are a very different kettle of fish indeed. Germany has had a great deal of (unpleasant) experience with Syrians. I hear the horror stories from informants I have back in Berlin where I used to live. Anyway, less said about that the better.

Indians are now currently once again the largest cohort of immigrants to the UK. They are intelligent, hard-working people who are keen to better themselves. Filipinos likewise. Only pure racists would have an issue with them settling in the British Isles. I would also point out that the flip side of the labour shortage is what no one here is mentioning: the lowest unemployment rate for 50 years and at long last, the opportunity for genuine job-seekers to earn the money they deserve, rather than being paid some derisory pittance (as has been the case now for far too long in the so-called gig economy).

Nothing to do with Boris. Or Brexit. These macroeconomic phenomena you refer to are pretty much omnipresent in the West currently. All those factors apply (believe it or not) to the US and Germany (yes!) as well as us. My take on it? I think the central banks just printed *way* too much money following the great 2008 crash, and kept on printing for far too long. Everything you mention can be attributed to far too lose monetary policy for too long and over zealous credit creation on the back of the disastrous 'liar loans' scandal preceding the 2008 crash.

By ending the current, tacit agreement between the French and UK governments for the UK to accept as many 'refugees' as the Channel's waters can accommodate. The UK population needs to recognise that there is complicity in what's been going on up until now, and do something about it.

You are (I assume) alluding to Friday's BBC report stating that Albanian drug gangs are paying the 'fare' for their compatriots to cross the Channel in exchange for them becoming indebted drug peddlers wherever they may end up in Britain. If even the BBC admits this is actually going on, the UK - let alone us - needs to block all illegal immigration from the camps in northern France IMMEDIATELY.